Playtesting

Playtest (verb) - To play a chart (or a part of one) to test for certain qualities.

As we all make charts, one of the most important aspects to keep in mind is playtesting. Playtesting is essential if you want to create a good chart because the idea is to make sure the sounds you want to follow and concepts you want to create are effective and produce the desired result. Just as musicians listen to their work over and over again and chefs taste their food as they make it, playtesting is crucial to chart artists as the primary testing method.

Why is playtesting so important?

The overall experience is more important than anything else in a file, as it is the primary factor in creating the player's impression of the song. Rhythm games are intended to follow the music, and without a test to make sure the objective is reached, there is no consistent control over that quality.

In order to get the optimal, best feeling you are aiming for, you have to experiment with lots of different combinations and try many different techniques and patterns. If you don't test a lot of these possibilities, then you might miss out on a potentially great concept. Try things you may not normally do, or something you think might be cool but you're not sure. There's almost no consequences to trying something that doesn't work. Compare, and who knows, you might discover something new.

Make sure that when you playtest, you playtest a lot. Playtest your files over and over and over and over again. It's the only way to be sure your chart is exactly how you want it to be. Parts that seem awkward at first might not be that bad when you detach yourself from certain habits, and patterns that seem fine at first might actually have some particular issue you didn't notice before. Perhaps there is a sound in the music that you missed before because you weren't paying attention to it before, or that there's an issue with consistency that you didn't catch.

Playtesting is your sole tool for quality checking. Make sure the chart plays exactly the way you want it to. Always playtest as much as possible.

Note: While playtesting can be used to check for sync, the main purpose of it is to test the patterns, positioning, and placement of the notes. Click here for more details on sync.